Wayward Sammy
by RoxxiSanders
Summary: Sammy Winchester is finally getting his 'normal' but how will John and Dean react when they discover they are losing their youngest Winchester to Stanford?


**DISCLAIMER: **Wish I owned Dean Winchester…sadly I don't :(

**SUMMARY:** Sammy Winchester is finally getting his 'normal' but how will John and Dean react when they discover they are losing their youngest Winchester to Stanford?

**A/N: **Pretty please read and review.

**TITLE:** Wayward Sammy

Taking a deep breath, Sam Winchester looked down at the envelope in his hand. He already knew who it was from…Stanford university. This was his one shot at 'normal'; he had missed out on having much of a childhood but had already vowed that he wasn't going to follow in the footsteps of his father and older brother.

Growing up he had idolized Dean, wanted to be just like his cool big brother but that had all changed when he realized that Dean was growing up to be just like their father. Dean was always going to be a hunter; it just took Sammy Winchester a little longer to see the facts before his eyes. Realistically he should have known about Dean's mapped out future, especially seein as he had seen how proud Dean had been when he had come in one afternoon at the age of nine years old and told his little brother and his father that he had used special water and now the rabbit next door wasn't evil anymore. Sam however, had been different to his father and Dean and was constantly arguing with John, unlike Dean who never once questioned the older man's authority.

Clutching the paper, he trembled slightly; if he had been accepted then he could finally fulfil that promise that he had made all those years ago…that promise to avoid the family 'business'. He wanted to study law, become a lawyer and deal with evil people as opposed to Demons. Get justice but get it in a legal way that didn't involve using a shotgun filled with rock salt. He only hoped that John would accept the decision and give Sam the chance to make him proud.

John had always shown his pride in Dean; daddy's little soldier who wanted to hunt and get revenge for their mother. Dam didn't. Sam was grown up enough to know that no amount of dead demons was ever going to bring Mary back. John wanted revenge, Dean wanted revenge but Sam? Sam wanted a life of his own instead of a crusade belonging to his father.

Opening the envelope, he let out a breath he hadn't realised he had been holding…he was in. He had a full scholarship so he wouldn't even have to pay a penny which was a blessing because considering the Winchesters survived by fake credit cards. Stanford offered a new life but more importantly it offered something that he had never known growing up…safety. Now all he needed to do was break the news to John and Dean.

* * *

A week passed as Sam tried to build up the courage to tell his family that he was leaving but every time he thought he was ready, something happened and he chickened out. The first time he had tried, John and Dean had returned from a hunt and John had given them a lecture about the importance of family after being shaken up by the case he had just worked. The second time he had tried, Dean fell down the steps outside their apartment after a drunken night out and broke his wrist.

His third attempt was successful…or at least vaguely successful. Eventually, two weeks and three days after receiving his acceptance letter, he told the two most important people in his life that he was leaving them to go to university.

"Dad, have you and Dean got a minute?" Sam raised a questioning eyebrow and waited for John to answer.

"Sure thing son, what's wrong?" Looking up from his newspaper which lay open on the kitchen table, John shot a concerned glance at his youngest.

"You okay Sammy?" Dean raised an eyebrow and sighed as he squashed his piece of toast by accidentally resting his cast-clad wrist on it.

Sam slowly nodded. "Yeah I'm great…in fact…" He took a deep breath before continuing. "I've uh, I've applied to Stanford and they uh…they said yes."

John shook his head, clearly amused by Sam's fantasy. After a few moments however, his face fell and he told Sam, "You know we can't afford it Sammy."

Sam nodded but his nervous smile never once faltered. "I know dad but I've got a scholarship, the university is going to pay my fees." He knew instantly that his words had been heard because a look of annoyance and anger crossed John's face and he stood up before walking over to Sam.

"Sam, you and Dean are hunters and you…" He was interrupted as Sam found a little more confidence and spoke up over his father.

"No dad, _you_ and Dean are hunters." John opened his mouth to defend himself but Sam continued. "I've never been like you, I can't kill things the way you do."

Shaking his head, John glared at his youngest. "You will learn…it will get easier." There was no understanding in his tone, just militaristic demanding.

"I don't want it to get easier!" Disgusted and hurt, all Sam wanted was the chance to make his own decisions.

It soon became clear that John had other ideas. "This is not negotiable Samuel." Now Sam knew he was in trouble, his father hardly ever called him by his full name. "You are not going and that is final!"

Dean sat perfectly shock-still throughout the whole argument. He couldn't believe what he was hearing, couldn't believe that his dork of a little brother was really leaving them.

More harsh shouts and angry words were exchanged before Sam got the last word. "I'm going dad, you can't stop me! I'm going to Stanford and getting as far away from your crusade as I can! You might be able to kill demons but you will _never_ be able to bring mom back!" With that he stormed out of the kitchen and headed for his bedroom.

"Boy needs to learn some manners." Muttering to himself, he returned to the table and looked at Dean. "Son?" When Dean didn't respond, he laid a hand on his eldest's shoulder and sighed. "Dean, you okay?"

Quickly standing up, the younger Winchester whispered a broken, "I'm going to check on Sammy." Making his way to their shared bedroom, he wondered if he would ever get the chance to 'check on Sammy' again. Knocking on the door, he called through the wood, "Sammy, let me in!" Trying the handle, he realised that the door was locked. "Sam!" Lowering his voice slightly, he sighed. "Sam please, we need to talk." He waited for a minute and allowed a tiny smile to grace his lips when he heard the lock click open.

Sam appeared in the doorway, tear tracks on his face and voice scratchy as he asked, "What do you want Dean?"

He wanted to shout and tell Sam that all he wanted was for him to stay but Dean wasn't that selfish; he knew what a big deal this was…how much it meant to his younger brother. "I told you…to talk." After a moment's hesitation, Sam nodded and moved back to let Dean into the room. "So…" Sitting on his bed, he sighed again. "Stanford huh?" Sam nodded and there was an awkward silence as neither knew what to say to the other. "Look Sam…" Trailing off, he shook his head.

Finally finding his voice, Sam stopped Dean when he tried to speak again. "I have to do this Dean, it's now or never." The pain that flickered across Dean's face was too much to bear and he looked away as he asked, "Haven't you ever wanted something so much that you would do whatever it took to have it?"

Dean's voice was a ghost of a whisper as he said, "Yeah…to keep you safe." Sam finally met his eyes and was shocked to find nothing but sincerity shining in his brother's emerald eyes. "When we were little, dad told me to keep you safe and I promised that I would…nothing will ever make me break that promise." Deciding that the moment was fast becoming too 'chick-flick', he added, "Besides, you're my pain-in-the-ass little brother."

Sam chuckled lightly but fell serious as he said, "I need to go to Stanford Dean."

"Why Sammy? Why are me, dad and Bobby not enough?" Both eyes and voice were laced with hurt.

"I can't be like you Dean…I can't be what dad wants me to be." Shaking his head, he added, "I'm going to make you both proud of me but not like that…not by killing."

"Sam…those things out there…" He was once again stopped short.

"Yeah but not by me." His voice was final as he whispered, "I can't and I…I won't."

* * *

A few weeks later, the night before Sam left, both boys fell asleep clinging to one another just like they had when they were little kids because neither knew when they would see the other again and deep down, they were still the scared little Winchester children that John had dragged up hunting.

The next morning, John told Sam that if he walked out of the door then he may as well not bother coming back. Sam left regardless and Dean, finally defying his father for the one thing that mattered in his life, drove Sam to the bus stop. He couldn't bear to take him all the way, wouldn't willingly give up his brother to Stanford. Before he got out of the car, Sam told Dean that he loved him and Dean answered with a 'see you round bitch'; his own way of telling Sam that he loved him too. Sam then got out of the car and walked out of Dean's life, never once glancing back to see the unshed tears that Dean refused to let fall.

It would only be years later when, after a long overdue call to his uncle Bobby on the phone, Sam would realise that he had made the wrong decision. A couple of months after that, he would be reunited with his brother and realise that Stanford wasn't safety…Dean was and always had been.

**A/N:** Pretty please review and let me know what you thought.


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